Ditching and tile-laying machine



(ModeL) A. S. HUGHES.

, DITOHING AND TILE LAYING MAOHINB. V

N0.'265,085. Patented Sept. 26, 1882..

ATTORNEYS.

- which the tiles are to be shoved down into the ANDREW S. HUGHES,

PATENT OFFICE.

OF ELDORA, IOWA DITCHING AND TILE-LAYING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent lilo. 265,085, datedSeptember 26, 1882.

(Modehl To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW SYLVESTER HUGHES, of Eldora; in the county ofHardin and State of Iowa, have invented a new and Improved Ditching andTile-Layin g Machine, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved machine for layingtile, and to this, end the invention consistsin a novel construction andarrangement of parts, as hereinafter described, and pointed out in theclaim.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in both the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved ditching and tile-layingmachine, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same as loaded upon atruck for being carried about.

A represents a cylindrical ditch-opener, of metal or other approvedmaterial, having a point, B, of one end suitable for being drawn alongthrough the ground under the surface, the cylindrical part being thesize of the required ditch.

0 represents one of the steelblades, connected along the lower edge withthe surface of the opener A, beginning over the center of said opener atits front end, D, butdivergin g there from rearward along the side ofsaid opener. A like blade is similarly arranged on the opposite side ofthe opener A, and both blades 0 being as wide above the opener as therequired depth of the ditch to be made. These blades are secured alongtheir upper edges in any approved way to the beam E, and at thefrontthey are supplemented with a single short blade, F, for a colter,and to aid in securing the said blades 0 to the beam. About over themiddle of the ditch-opener the beam is cut apart for the mouth of thechute H, through ditch as the machine moves along, and it is spliced bythe short timbers Gr, attached one to each of its sides, both before andbehind the chute. The cut through the beam slants rearward, and thechute H, slanting therefrom over the rear end of the opener, is formedby a cover, I, of sheet metal, in the inverted trough-shaped form shown,inserted through the out of the beam between the timbers G,

and riveted atthe edges .to the rear ends of the blades 0 along the lineof rivets J, the said rear ends being constructed on the requiredinclination for the chute. Below the under side of the beam E the spacebetween the blades 0 is filled iuwith timber'or other suitable fillingto form the bottom of the chute. The tiles are to be delivered into thechute by. an attendant as the machine slowly moves along,,and shoved orpressed in by him, so that they descend to and lie in continuous lineupon the bottom of theditch.

K represents a pair of scrapers attached to the rear corners of themachine, for scraping the earth from each side of the furrow made by theblades back into it, for filling in what the furrow may lack of fullnessby failure of earth falling in behind the machine to fill it.

L represents a pole fixed across the top of the machine, and securedbystaples M or other means suitable for use by a couple of attendants tobalance and guide the machine.

N represents staples in the sides for balanc ing the machine by braces 0when loaded on a truck.

P is a staple at the hind end for hitching the truck on behind when themachine is at work.

Q, is a ring or clevis at the front end of the beam, for hitching on therope orchain by which the power of a windlass, capstan, or other motivepower to work the machine is applied. Ring Q is also utilized forsecuring the machine to the truck by a rod, R, as shown. For moving themachine about over the ground, a truck of-two wheels,.T, and a strongframe, U, with uprights W, having a roller, X,in the top, is employed,and it is loaded'on said truck by removing the wheels and letting theframe down upon the ground in frontof the machine, so that the ropehitched to beam E will draw over roller X. The power is then set in mo-'tion,and it pullsthemachineout of the ground and up onto the axle ofthe truck, in the position represented in Fig. 2, when it is made fastby the braces 0 and rod R. The truckframe is then raised by means oflevers or other suitable devices, and the wheels put on. To remove themachine from the truck, the wheels are taken off and the frame of thetruck is lowered to the ground and pulled from under it.

The advantages of the machine for making the ditch and laying the tilewithout opening the ditch and filling it again are apparent, as

well as the simplicity'of the construction of The combination, with thebeam E, the side bars, G, the cylindrical and pointed opener A [0 B, thediverging blades (J, the colter F, the

inclined chute H I, and the scrapers K, of the same, substantially asand for the purpose set 15 forth. 7

ANDREW SYLVES'IER HUGHES.

Witnesses: v

W. A. GREEK,- W. F. SOHWAROK.

